The present invention generally relates to a unique television display apparatus and, more specifically, to a television display apparatus which reflects light beams off of a mirror array and through slits in a non-reflective surface in order to modulate the intensity of the projected beams.
It is well known in the prior art to produce a television display by modulating beams of light in accordance with electrical signals received from a control system. The modulated beams of light are then converted into images by an optical scanning mechanism.
In order to create a color display, three beams of light must be modulated, one in each of the primary colors, red, green and blue. It is also well known in the art to split a white light beam into three primary colored beams. For example, in Stavis, U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,984, an argon laser beam is passed through a prism in order to split the beam into blue and green beams. In Biedermann, U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,571, a light source is split into three primary colored beams by passing the beam through interference mirrors and filters.
The beams of light are then typically modulated by conventional light modulators. This invention discloses a optical modulation television which will not require these conventional modulators.
It is known in the art to use rotating reflective surfaces in order to provide horizontal sweep. In Biedermann, the optical system for horizontal scan includes a rotating polygonal prism. In Roth, U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,096, the optical system for horizontal sweep includes a rotating pyramidal mirror.